Macksville vs Talarm

Macksville is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 50 in Talarm. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Talarm, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Talarm: a median of $800,000, against $635,000 in Macksville, though rent is higher in Macksville. On these figures, Macksville tends to suit families with children and buyers on a tighter budget, while Talarm suits couples.

Which one suits you?

There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.

Families with school-age kids

Macksville

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (4 vs 0)
  • has more childcare (4 vs 0)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)
  • But Talarm carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 88/100)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Talarm

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($325,000 vs $605,000)
  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (23% vs 32%)
  • But Macksville has cheaper houses ($635,000 vs $800,000)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Macksville has a bigger rental market to choose from (30% vs 11%)
  • Talarm leaves renters under less rental stress (23% vs 34%)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Macksville

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (26/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (309 min vs 321 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (471.6 km vs 481.5 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Macksville

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (26/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more GPs (5 vs 0)
  • But Talarm carries lower crime risk (25/100 vs 88/100)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Macksville and Talarm drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Macksville Talarm
Hides rows where both suburbs match

Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.

Side by side, out of 100

Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.

Macksville Talarm
Walkability 26 / 0
Macksville — Walkability: 26/100 Talarm — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 12 / 75
Macksville — Safety: 12/100 Talarm — Safety: 75/100
Low fire risk 84 / 18
Macksville — Low fire risk: 84/100 Talarm — Low fire risk: 18/100

Demographics

Macksville has more residents (2,782 vs 242); Talarm has higher household incomes ($67,184 vs $49,088).

Macksville Talarm
Population 2,782
+91% vs other
 242
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +7.1% +10.5%
Median age 47 50
Median household income $49,088/yr $67,184/yr
+37% vs other
Median weekly rent $320/wk
+6% vs other
 $300/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Macksville Talarm
0-4 6.3% / 2.5%
Macksville — 0-4: 6.3% Talarm — 0-4: 2.5%
5-14 11.8% / 9.9%
Macksville — 5-14: 11.8% Talarm — 5-14: 9.9%
15-19 5.6% / 5.0%
Macksville — 15-19: 5.6% Talarm — 15-19: 5.0%
20-24 4.0% / 4.5%
Macksville — 20-24: 4.0% Talarm — 20-24: 4.5%
25-34 11.0% / 6.2%
Macksville — 25-34: 11.0% Talarm — 25-34: 6.2%
35-44 9.0% / 9.9%
Macksville — 35-44: 9.0% Talarm — 35-44: 9.9%
45-54 10.0% / 16.1%
Macksville — 45-54: 10.0% Talarm — 45-54: 16.1%
55-64 13.8% / 20.7%
Macksville — 55-64: 13.8% Talarm — 55-64: 20.7%
65-74 13.6% / 16.1%
Macksville — 65-74: 13.6% Talarm — 65-74: 16.1%
75-84 9.7% / 9.5%
Macksville — 75-84: 9.7% Talarm — 75-84: 9.5%
85+ 4.9% / —
Macksville — 85+: 4.9% Talarm — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Macksville 42.6% lone person
Macksville — Lone Person: 42.6% Macksville — Couple Families: 28.2% Macksville — One Parent Families: 22.9% Macksville — Group Household: 4.6% Macksville — Other Families: 1.7%
Talarm 35.8% lone person
Talarm — Lone Person: 35.8% Talarm — Couple Families: 45.3% Talarm — One Parent Families: 13.2% Talarm — Group Household: 5.7% Talarm — Other Families: 0.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Macksville 30.3% renting
Macksville — Owned Outright: 43.6% Macksville — Mortgage: 26.1% Macksville — Renting: 30.3%
Talarm 10.8% renting
Talarm — Owned Outright: 55.4% Talarm — Mortgage: 33.7% Talarm — Renting: 10.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Where residents were born

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.

Macksville Talarm
England 2.1% / 6.2%
Macksville — England: 2.1% Talarm — England: 6.2%
New Zealand 0.9% / 2.1%
Macksville — New Zealand: 0.9% Talarm — New Zealand: 2.1%
Germany 0.4% / 1.2%
Macksville — Germany: 0.4% Talarm — Germany: 1.2%
India 0.9% / —
Macksville — India: 0.9% Talarm — India: not among its largest
Malaysia 0.4% / —
Macksville — Malaysia: 0.4% Talarm — Malaysia: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.2%).

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Macksville Talarm
Certificate III & IV 17.1% / 16.9%
Macksville — Certificate III & IV: 17.1% Talarm — Certificate III & IV: 16.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.6% / 9.1%
Macksville — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.6% Talarm — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.1%
Bachelor Degree 5.8% / 6.6%
Macksville — Bachelor Degree: 5.8% Talarm — Bachelor Degree: 6.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.9% / 2.9%
Macksville — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.9% Talarm — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.9%
Postgraduate Degree 0.9% / 1.7%
Macksville — Postgraduate Degree: 0.9% Talarm — Postgraduate Degree: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Macksville 90.8% houses
Macksville — Houses: 90.8% Macksville — Townhouses: 5.6% Macksville — Flats / Apartments: 3.6%
Talarm 100.0% houses
Talarm — Houses: 100.0% Talarm — Townhouses: 0.0% Talarm — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Macksville Talarm
Median house price $635,000 $800,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $605,000 $325,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 60 days
from 37 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Talarm has more rural and farming land (96% vs 40%).

Macksville Talarm
Rural and farming 40% 96%
Residential 37% 2%
Parks and recreation 8% 0%
Industrial 7% 0%
Environmental 4% 2%
Infrastructure and transport 2% 0%
Commercial 1% 0%
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it. Zones as at 2026-09.

Development activity

Macksville Talarm
New dwellings approved 109
across Nambucca Valley
same for both
Approvals change year on year -64%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Macksville Talarm
Houses 3.8%
$600/wk on $820K
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Macksville Talarm
House price Higher than 21% of NSW Higher than 33% of NSW
Income Higher than 10% of NSW Higher than 30% of NSW
Schools Higher than 64% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 73% of NSW Higher than 6% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 46% of NSW Higher than 51% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 33% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 71% of NSW Higher than 44% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 62% of NSW —

Liveability

Macksville is more walkable (26 vs 0).

Macksville Talarm
Grade C —
Score 34/100 —
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10

Risk profile

Talarm carries more bushfire risk (82 vs 16); Macksville carries more crime risk (88 vs 25).

Macksville Talarm
Bushfire Low
16/100
 High
82/100
Crime High
88/100
 Low
25/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Macksville Talarm
Inside the suburb 3 0
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in Macksville

  • St Patrick's Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Macksville Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Macksville High School Government · Secondary below peers

Schools in Talarm

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Macksville Talarm
Supermarkets 2 0
Cafes & restaurants 12 0
Parks & reserves 4 0
Childcare 4 0
GPs 5 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 3 0
Fuel stations 3 0
EV chargers 2 0
Waterways 1 2

Mobility

Talarm sits further from the CBD (481.5 km vs 471.6 km).

Macksville Talarm
Walkability score 26/100 0/100
Distance to Sydney 471.6 km 481.5 km
+2% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 309 min 321 min
Electric vehicle share 0.3%
postcode 2447
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 62
postcode 2447
same for both

How people get to work

Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.

Macksville Talarm
Car (driver) 79.3% / 74.1%
Macksville — Car (driver): 79.3% Talarm — Car (driver): 74.1%
Worked from Home 7.8% / 25.9%
Macksville — Worked from Home: 7.8% Talarm — Worked from Home: 25.9%
Car (passenger) 6.2% / —
Macksville — Car (passenger): 6.2% Talarm — Car (passenger): not among its largest
Walked Only 5.9% / —
Macksville — Walked Only: 5.9% Talarm — Walked Only: not among its largest
Bicycle 0.9% / —
Macksville — Bicycle: 0.9% Talarm — Bicycle: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (79.3%).

Setting

Macksville Talarm
Elevation 6 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 41 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 6.8 km 14.0 km

NBN connectivity

Macksville Talarm
Connectivity score 62/100 29/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 34%
1,711 premises
 0%
103 premises

Council rates

Macksville Talarm
Average residential rate $1,175/yr
same for both
Council Nambucca Valley
same for both

Federal electorate

Macksville Talarm
Division Cowper
same for both
Member Pat Conaghan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Macksville Talarm
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Macksville

Acreage Affordable Retirees

Talarm

Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Macksville

Macksville vs North Macksville Macksville vs Gumma Macksville vs Congarinni North Macksville vs Congarinni Macksville vs Way Way

Other comparisons with Talarm

Talarm vs Congarinni North Talarm vs Congarinni Talarm vs South Arm Talarm vs Yarranbella Talarm vs Utungun
Full data on Macksville Full data on Talarm
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or